"If Tomorrow Never Comes"
After battling an apartment complex fire that had proven to be quite deadly, with the death toll at 17, including the near wipeout of a whole fire crew, the men of Station 51's A-shift returned to quarters.
Each man exhausted, they had all gone their separate ways once they had exited their vehicles. Still sitting in his seat in the engine's cab, Hank Stanley watched as his crew separated. Some went into the squad room, and others went outside. Thinking about the crew who nearly got wiped out at the fire, he was grateful that he still had all of his men.
Hank knew he had been in tough situations before, being in the fire department for as long as he had, it was unavoidable, but this was absolutely the worst experience of his career, and probably of his whole life.
Getting called to a structure fire at 6:30 PM, just after they had finished eating supper, 51's had joined several other crews on scene. Improperly stored chemicals caught fire in the basement at the complex, and caused an explosion with half of Station 110's crew still down there. Captain Ralston and his senior paramedic Kyle McGrath had both just made it out of the basement, the paramedic carrying the building's superintendent. However, his crew's two linemen, as well as his other paramedic were not so lucky…the three of them were killed almost instantly from the immense blast.
Captain Ralston, the paramedic, and their victim were trapped in some debris for a couple hours before they were rescued. Each of them had some pretty serious injuries, and whether or not they would survive was questionable. Their engineer, Chase McKenzie was the lone man who was not injured…at least outwardly.
Continuing to think about this tragic fire, Hank slowly got out of the engine and headed to his office.
When he sat down at his desk, he pulled out the large notepad from the top desk drawer, and took out the pen from his shirt pocket.
Dearest Suzanne,
I'm sitting here writing this letter to you…just in case tomorrow never comes. I know it sounds like a pretty pessimistic outlook, but after the events of this evening, I'm not feeling very positive right now.We just came back from a real bad fire…left 17 dead, including three firefighters. A good friend of mine, a fellow captain was also seriously injured…not sure if he'll make it. His entire crew almost bought the proverbial farm. It's funny, when you become a captain, you kind of assume that you'll be less in harm's way…unfortunately it doesn't always work out that way.
Because of the way I am feeling, there are a few things that I'd like to tell you, and I guess writing them down is easier for me, than to tell you face to face, although I wish I had the guts to do that.First and foremost, I want to thank you for having agreed to be my wife all those years ago. You have made me a very happy man. I know there were times that we didn't always see eye to eye, and I know there were more than a few times that you wished that I wasn't a firefighter. But being the wonderful woman you are, you supported me through it all.You gave me two fine children…a handsome son, Adam, and a beautiful daughter, Erin. I have never been prouder of two people, than I am of my two children. I know they will continue to mature and become the kind, goodhearted adults that we had always hoped that they'd become. You are an amazing mother, and I know that you will do right by our children.
It's hard to think about how fast time has gone. I remember the day we first met. I had just gotten accepted into the fire academy, and went to Bugsy's Burgers to celebrate with a few of my buddies. You were there sitting in a corner, drinking a chocolate milkshake, and reading a book…To Kill a Mocking Bird. I noticed you right away…never saw a more beautiful girl, than I had at that moment. It had become obvious to me that I was not going to be spending much time chatting with my friends…I'd be there…talking with YOU. We were inseparable after that.I never told you, and it might sound incredibly corny, but I saved that straw that you were sipping on. In case things didn't end up working out between us, I wanted to have something that had touched your lips, and so I saved that straw. I guess the truth is out…old Hank Stanley is a hopeless romantic. When push comes to shove, I guess even the famous John Gage doesn't have anything on me.
While we had a lot of great times through the years, it was the small moments that I always treasured the most. Spending time cuddling on the couch with you…listening to you laugh after I'd tell you about Chet Kelly's most recent antics…or even just listening to your breathing while you slept…definitely happy moments.
Looking at my watch, it's almost midnight. I know all the guys are exhausted, but I know no one went to bed. It's been a horrible night for them too. John and Roy were the ones who treated the two seriously injured crewmembers. The two of them take things like that to heart, and I know it wasn't easy for them to have done what they had to do.
Marco and Chet were fighting tooth and nail to get to the trapped men. Having already heard that two of their counterparts had already been caught in the explosion, I'm sure that a part of each of them was thinking what if it had been them. Both of them good men, and are from good strong families.
And Mike Stoker, my right hand man. The quiet one, as he is often referred to. The reality of it is that Mike is not quiet at all. None of us really know where that title came from. He's no quieter than any of the other guys, just maybe a little lower key about things, than most. I always envisioned Erin marrying a young man much like Mike…calm, polite, and caring.
I don't think I ever told my men how proud I am of them…but I am. They're a great crew…a lot of fun too. I won't bore you with the details of some of the crazy stuff that they've done through the years, but suffice it to say, there were many. From the first day that I had taken over the crew, they always made me feel welcome and comfortable. It's been a pleasure to serve with them.
But while my mind is going a mile a minute about all the things that I want to say, my thoughts always return to you…my dear sweet Suzanne. Hopefully, you will never have to read this letter, for if you are…I guess things aren't good, and I've gone to meet my maker. If that's the case, than hopefully it's with the big fire chief in the sky, and not down below. It's been said that the devil doesn't like firefighters, because they're forever trying to put out all the fires down there. I know there's probably a whole bunch more of things that I'm forgetting to say, but we'll just have to leave it at this for now. Just know that I love you now, and will always love you. Take care of the kids and yourself…and if and when the time comes…move on with your life…I'd never dream of standing in your way…just in case tomorrow never comes. Hugs and kisses,
Hank
The End